9 Must-have Skills for SEO Managers

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Vandita is a passionate writer and IT enthusiast. She is a Computer Lecturer by profession at the University of Delhi. She has previously worked as a Software Engineer with Aricent Technologies. Vandita writes for MarTech Advisor as a freelance contributor.

An SEO Manager is one who specializes in implementing and coordinating SEO strategies and efforts to boost business prospects and maximize user engagement. The primary task includes understanding, communicating and executing activities related to organic search

This profile usually requires a mix of strategic planning, campaign organization and project management duties.

Here are 9 crucial skills every SEO manager must-have:

Strong Analytical Skills: An analytical mindset can help to competently assess the performance of Internet marketing campaigns and website effectiveness in order to generate insights for a more impactful future course of action.

SEO Managers must be able to track, analyze and report on core KPIs and success metrics using data analysis. These findings will help drive editorial strategies which will enhance the business’s search rankings on major search engines.

Strategic Perspective: The role of an SEO manager is a strategic one. The core functionality relies on being able to devise a strategy to align SEO plans with long-term business objectives.

A good SEO manager should be able to conduct his own research to create target keyword portfolios, gather data on online behaviors and trends to help design content marketing strategies that best fit the prospects’ needs

A basic understanding of HTML, CSS, website administration and a good working knowledge of on-site elements like H1s, and meta descriptions is an added advantage to perform better in a digital environment.

A good SEO manager should keep himself abreast of the latest trends to ensure that the brand messaging is always in sync with what users want.

Ability to Conduct a Fair Competitor Analysis: Conducting site and competitor analysis is important to identify how well a business is doing vis a vis its competition. An SEO manager is also expected to create SEO analysis reports and provide recommendations to improve the structure of brand websites and web pages vis a vis competitor.

Interpersonal Skills and Collaboration: Cordial interpersonal qualities will ensure smooth, consistent and efficient execution of tasks among team members. Collaboration is important in any cross-functional setting. It is important to know how to gel well with other teams and to work together on optimizing campaigns.

Stakeholder Management: A successful SEO Manager must be able to easily communicate with and manage the requirements of multiple stakeholders in the senior management cadre seamlessly.

Team Management and Leadership Qualities: At some point, an SEO manager will be required to manage an existing team or build one. Strong leadership and organizational skills can be beneficial to do this well.

High levels of motivation and the ability to multi-task in a deadline-driven environment helps. Being a quick decision maker can help in challenging situations.

Good Communication and Reporting Skills: Excellent verbal and written communicational skills contribute to more meaningful interactions with personnel at cross-functional levels. Good communication skills also help create impactful presentations and reports for senior management while also contributing to effective team communication on project development, goals and timeliness. Since one crucial area of responsibility lies in overseeing that the content is delivered to the audience in an easily comprehensible form, a strong grip in the field of online content production can be useful.

If you are eying the coveted role of SEO Manager, you should possess an assortment of skills and competencies to effectively manage your SEO campaigns and provide a holistic approach to search marketing.